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Topic Review (Newest First)

10-12-2012 06:38 PM

goinloco1

this was one thing that swayed me to the mustang. you are able to start with a base model and build up, but in the process these take away some extraneous thins. i ordered the 102a,perf package, recaros, sync, tech package, reverse sensing system & security package, and the manual trans. this deleted any hope of the shaker sound system, spare tire, spoiler, side scoops, or other such items as a weight savings keeping the car below 3500lbs (i'll know for sure when it's delivered). it still has a premium radio in it tho. and with the performance pack I also get the track apps function enabled. and the 19" perelli p-zeros... are gonna go no where in the snow, lol

10-12-2012 11:42 AM

zippy75

I agree that the packages are annoying. I understand why they do it, but the lack of variety forces you to buy the better package with a bunch of crap you don't want, or settle for a lesser package that doesn't have some things you do want. I'd guess that just as often it causes a potential customer to buy a different brand.

I'd be willing to pay extra for the Recaros (or even leather sport seats) but I don't want MFT. Just give me a decent sounding stereo with KNOBS.

10-12-2012 07:13 AM

felixthecat

On the new ST, I don't like that you can't get the recaro's in the base car= Ford bundles options into pkg's, I guess its cheaper for them. I don't like that center stack & yeah my knee hits the center at times. I also don't like the small fuel tank, it should be at least a 14 gal.+ tank. My buddy is always filling his '09 Colbalt ss sedan= 12 gal. tank. I like the new ST, but I'd add a few mods= a torsen for sure.

10-12-2012 02:10 AM

goinloco1

and no there is nothing wrong with the st just not my thing nor impressed with
I kept banging my damn knee on the center console and reaching around things to get at other things. the car was just to button happy and not at all what was expected, felt like a sardine can. they tried to fit too much crap inside instead of simplifying like the frs, lotus, and such are.
.96 g's wow
I ended up buying a 305hp v6, 6 spd man, mustang,w/ performance package, recaros,sync, tech package, and some other stuff I forget for right around the same price. insurance is 200 bucks a year cheaper than the st.
guess what.. it does .97g's on the skid pad, 0-60 in 5.4, 1/4 in 13.9. and 29mpg hwy.
does that impress you? quit trying to impress me.
i also own an 02 svt thats blown and does 14.06 in the 1/4 at 5psi that i just upped the boost to 9psi and will be tuning this winter. i've owned 3 focus.

10-11-2012 09:51 AM

lddavis

Quote:

Is it not a sports car simply because it is so refined and well-mannered..?

Nothing wrong with the ST. To me, actually, that refinement is a selling point. It's quite comfortable and luxurious, notably quiet, especially for the price -- but you can still let it off the leash. One appeal of hot hatches is the "under the radar" quality, and the ST has that. The other hot hatch attraction is versatility. You can drive the ST hard, or take it easy, which is valuable to me since it'll be a daily driver, not a track car.

But people that want a more raw, rally-car kind of feel might not like that so much. It's one of those personal preferences.

Gas mileage is great for 250 hp (much better than the WRX; about the same as the GTI, despite the 25% advantage in power). Actual mileage is going to come down to how you drive it. But if mileage is your main concern, you shouldn't be looking at the ST, or even this segment. There's a Focus PZEV that breaks 40; try that one. Or the Fusion hybrid, at 43 MPG in a big family sedan. Plenty of room for that 5000 mile roadtrip.

10-11-2012 08:28 AM

swansong

Quote:

Originally Posted by Goinloco1

Why waste the time trying to get used to something? I test drove an st and wasn't impresses.could you honestly do a 5,000 mile road trip in one comfortably? After 10 mimutes I'd decided no way.
I really didnt like banging the passengers knee when shifting or not being able to grab the shifter to change gears while taking a right because his leg was there.
What happened to the room? they magically become a fiesta once you step inside.
And the gas mileage sucks bad.
what happened to the sports car ford was going to build out of the focus?

A 5,000 mile road trip? I couldn't do that in any vehicle, even the cushiest Merc or BMW. 500 miles in an ST? No problem. It's a very comfortable car to me. I like seats that can support me when I'm in a regular, upright driving position. I don't like to scoot all around or recline like it's a lazyboy, but that's just me. I didn't encounter any passenger related issues with shifting it, but I did notice my knees bumped the console a couple times, I figured some seat adjustments would alleviate that, but didn't play around with it. Any car I drive takes at least a few minutes or hours or days of getting-used-to-it time. Hell if I play Gran Turismo long enough (with a proper wheel/pedals), it feels funny driving an actual car right afterwards.

The room seems to be similar to the Mk1 Focus to me in raw, usable space. Sure, the front "seems" cramped, but it's just because of the large dash, console, and pillars. The back seats had similar room to the Mk1, and the hatch space seemed longer, but a bit shorter height wise because of the full size spare and high load floor.

According to these four Fuelly logs, the real world mileage is about 25.7 mpg, which isn't terrible, but isn't stellar either. Four cars does not make a large sample though, and I can't say what the owners' driving habits are.

It is a sports car.. It does 154 mph. It does 0-60 in about 6 seconds. It does 0.96g on the skidpad. According to many sources, it's the most neutral handling FWD car to come out in quite a while. Is it not a sports car simply because it is so refined and well-mannered..?

Not trying to say that the ST is the best thing since sliced bread and that everyone should love it, I'm just saying that a 10 min test drive probably doesn't do the car justice. My 20 minute drive was too short for me to really get a good feel of the car, but it did make a lot of very positive impressions in that time.

10-11-2012 12:21 AM

zippy75

Quote:

Originally Posted by RRAPTRR

People have been waiting a long time, and DESPERATELY "want" to love it... so they're convince themselves it's "not so bad" in some areas (like the ridiculous bolstering, unless you're 160lb 16-year old), instead of buying a model that truly makes them happy in all areas... Like a WRX! LOL

Is the gas mileage bad in the ST? Obviously the sticker states 32 highway... is that realistic?

I haven't bought anything yet, but who wants to be seen driving a WRX? I think the Focus seemed cramped because I was going from a larger car, but the center console does intrude a bit.

The ST1 is available for those who don't want the Recaro side bolsters. Personally, I like them, but my girlfriend probably would not be a fan. Then again she thinks I should buy a Toyota Corolla, so you see what I'm up against.

10-10-2012 11:55 PM

RRAPTRR

Quote:

Originally Posted by Goinloco1

Why waste the time trying to get used to something? I test drove an st and wasn't impresses.could you honestly do a 5,000 mile road trip in one comfortably? After 10 mimutes I'd decided no way.
I really didnt like banging the passengers knee when shifting or not being able to grab the shifter to change gears while taking a right because his leg was there.
What happened to the room? they magically become a fiesta once you step inside.
And the gas mileage sucks bad.
what happened to the sports car ford was going to build out of the focus?

People have been waiting a long time, and DESPERATELY "want" to love it... so they're convince themselves it's "not so bad" in some areas (like the ridiculous bolstering, unless you're 160lb 16-year old), instead of buying a model that truly makes them happy in all areas... Like a WRX! LOL

Is the gas mileage bad in the ST? Obviously the sticker states 32 highway... is that realistic?

10-10-2012 11:22 PM

goinloco1

Why waste the time trying to get used to something? I test drove an st and wasn't impresses.could you honestly do a 5,000 mile road trip in one comfortably? After 10 mimutes I'd decided no way.
I really didnt like banging the passengers knee when shifting or not being able to grab the shifter to change gears while taking a right because his leg was there.
What happened to the room? they magically become a fiesta once you step inside.
And the gas mileage sucks bad.
what happened to the sports car ford was going to build out of the focus?

10-10-2012 07:01 PM

zippy75

I drive a Mazda6 now as my daily driver, and I definitely thought the Focus I drove seemed cramped by comparison. I suspect that's something we'll get used to though.

Cam

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